Hydrocarbon-burner.



N. l790,422. PATB-NTBD MAY l23. 1905.

G. s. BBNNETT.

" HYDROGARBON BURNER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21, 1903. 4

' 2 SHEETS-swim 2.

L f u@ m w f d f w w .WIK/f.. f w j WH "v, `.N\\\MM\\\A/\\\\ g l UNITED STATES Patented May 23, A1905.

PATENT OFFICE;

GEORGE S. BENNETT, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TOBENNETTS PETROLEUM BURNER CO., OF SAN FRANCISCO,

CALIFORNIA.

HYDRocARBoN-BURNER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 790,492, dated May 23, 1905.

Application filed September 21, 1903. Serial No. 174,103.,

To @ZZ whom t may concern.:

Be it known that I, GEORGE S. BENNETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented a new and useful Hydrocarbon-Burner, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in devices of that class employed 'for burning crude petroleum or other forms of hydrocarbon in liquid form, and hasfor its principal object to provide a device of this character for use in connection with stoves, ranges, boilers, and the like.` A

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character in which a portion of the heat is utilized for the vaporization of separate bodies of oil and water, which are afterward intermingled before the ignition.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character in which the steam resulting from the vaporization of the water is superheated and then intermingled with the liquid hydrocarbon, the latter being atomized in whole or in part before being introduced into the retort-vaporizer and subjected to the action of heat, so that the resultant product is a fixed or practically` fixed gas mingled with steam, or the steam may be disassociated into its constituent elements and in part combined with the carbon of the oil. This mixture is burned in connection with atmospheric air admitted under either natural or forced draft, as may be desired.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which may be readily cleaned, should cleaning become necessary, and carbonaceous residue removed and .arrangement of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size, and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacricing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a transverse sectional elevation of a portion of the stove or furnace, illustrating a hydrocarbon-burner constructed and arranged in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the Astove or furnace, showing the manner vin which the burner is arranged therein. Fig. 3 is an elevation of one side of the burner drawn to a somewhat larger scale and portions of the structure being broken away in order to more clearly illustrate the arrangement of the. retort or boiler in which the water is vaporized. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 looking from the opposite side of the burner and showing the arrangement of the retort in which the oil or oil-vapor is subjected to the action of heat. transverse sectional elevation of the burner on the linea; fr of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a plan view, partly in section, illustrating the construction and arrrangement of the oil and steam supply pipes leading to the oil-vaporizer.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several iigures of the drawings.

The burner forming the subject of the present invention comprises three main sections, including a box-like base l, a priming-tray 2, and a retort and burner proper, 3. The base 1 is provided with a plurality of supportinglegs A, and its bottom portion is inclined from all sides' toward a central point, and at this central point is connected a waste-pipe 5, through which any surplus oil or water may be drained off to a point of discharge. This box-like base has a projecting nipple 6, to which may be secured one end of an air-inlet pipe 7 the outer end of which is provided with a damper 8 in order to regulate the Fig. 5 is a' quantity of air passing to the burner, and the length of the air-inlet-pipe is governed by the position of the burner and the character of the structure within which it is disposed.

Supported by the base is a priming-tray 2, said tray having a double ange 8, forming its upper outer edge and aiiording a convenient means of supporting the upper retortsection 3 o1c the burner. The priming-tray is provided with a large number of openings 10, formed in its side and end walls and serving as overow-passages for surplus oil which was admitted to the priming-tray in starting the burner into operation, and afterward these openings serve as inlets for the air necessary to support combustion. The priming-tray is provided with a centrally-disposed rib 11, around which Ais wound a strip or strips of asbestos wicking 12, which will act to absorb a sufiicient quantity of oil to effect the preliminary heating of the retort. In order to prevent the disintegration of the wicking and the blowing of the same out of the retort during the subsequent burning of the gas, the wicking is preferably held in position by metallic clamps 13, secured to the central rib 11, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 5.

The upper retort-section is formed of a central member 14, having in one side a retort for the vaporization of water and on the opposite side a retort for vaporizing oil or for the formation of a fixed gas from a previously-formed oil-vapor or mixture of oilvapor and steam. These two retorts are closed by side plates 15, secured by screws or bolts or nuts to the main body of the retort, the latter being provided with planed anges 16, through which the screws or bolts extend, and suitable gaskets being introduced between the flanges and the plates in order to lessen the liability of leakage of the steam or gas.

The water-vaporizer or steam-boiler 17 is provided with a plurality of longitudinallydisposed parallel ribs 18, extending alternately from opposite ends of the retort in such manner as to form acontinuous or tortuous passage, into which water is introduced through a supply-pipe 19, leading into the upper portion of the retort, the supply of water being controlled by a suitable valve and the quantity admitted being limited, so that the device acts somewhat after the nature of a flasher, the water being instantly converted into steam and passing out from the retort through a pipe 20. At the bottom of the retort 17 is a drain-pipe 21, in which is placed a petcock 22, which may be opened in order to test for steam or to drain off accumulated water or to act as a blow-olf for the removal ol' any sediment which may accumulate. It will be noted on reference to Fig. 5 that all of the ribs 18 are arranged at an angle to the horizontal, inclining downwardly toward the central portion of the retort rected by gravity into contact with the inner and hottest wall of the retort and result in the quicker vaporization of such water.

On the opposite side ot' the retort-casting is the oil-vaporizcr 23, in which are formed a number of ribs 24, also inclined inward and downwardly toward the central portion oi the retort in order to hold any liquid hydrocarbon in contact with the highly-heated inner wall of said retort.

The ribs 24 of the oil-retort are inclined in order not to retard the passage of the oil and at the same time to permit the stream oi oil and oily vapor to carry with it any heavy carbonaceous substances which might otherwise tend to accumulate in the angular space between the ribs and the inner wall of the retort and form a hard mass, which will materially interfere with the vaporization of the oil. A t the lower end of the oil-retort are a number of burner-openings 25, leading to the central space between the water and oil retorts and to which the gases are led and ignited.

The oil is introduced to the retort through a supply-pipe 27 and at the starting oi the operation tlows downward to the retort 23, the inclination of the ribs 24. being of material assistance in this operation, inasmuch as they do not interfere with the passage oi the oil and avoid the retention of any large body ol oil to be subjected to a distilling or Vaporizing process when the retort is heated. The inclination of the ribs possesses the further advantage that by avoiding an accumulation of oil in a cold retort and the subjection ol such oil to the very gradual heat at the starting of the operation the formation ol tarry deposits is prevented. The oil iii-st conducted through the pipe 27 liows by gravity through the retort and the discharge-opening's 25 to the priming-tray, at which point it may be ignited, and in a few moments the heat will be sufiicient to vaporize any oil or water which may be subsequently admitted to the retorts. It' an excessive quantity of oil is allowed to low to the priming-tray, it will drain through the openings 10 and pass ofi through the wastepipe 5.

The steam formed in the water-vaporizing retort 17 passes, as heretofore described, through the pipe 20, and said pipe is thence led across the top of the retort at a point above the oil-vaporizing chamber and thence returns at a point above the water-vaporizing chamber, so that it will be thoroughly subjected to the action of the iiame issuing from the space between the two retorts, the course of the pipe being' indicated by reference-numorals 20, 20, and 20. The steam is superheated and in some cases subjected to the action of the heat to a sutlicient extent to be decomposed into its constituent elements. This superheated steam thence passes through a lurther bend of the pipe 20 into the upper porproper, so that the water admitted will be dil tion of the oil-Vaporizing retort or chamber,

IOO

a T-coupling 30 being introduced in order to permit proper connection with the oil-pipe 27, and said oil-pipe terminates in a contracted nipple 31 within the coupling, so that the body of steam in passing over the nipple will tend to draw the oil from the supplypipe and will act to vaporize such oil and eiiect its thorough intermingling with the steam in advance of or at the time of its admission to the retort. The body of mingled oil and vaporA and superheated or decomposed steam passes through the oil-vaporizing chamber 23 and is there subjected to the action of the heat of the retort and formed into a fixed gas or a gas of such nature as will when admixed with air produce intense heat, although-it is found in practice that the flame issuing fromthe retort may `be readily diverted by the draft of -an ordinary chimney and may be used to adother by a combustion-space, said retorts be-` ing gradually convergent from the lower to the upper end, a steam-pipe leading from the water-retort to the oil-retort, and an oil-supply pipe connected to the steam-pipe to permit the atomizing oi' the oil by the steam at the entrance of the oil-retort.

2. In a device of the class specified, water and oil retorts separated by a combustionspace, asteam-pipe leading from the lower portion of the water-retort to the upper portion of the oil-retort, said steam-pipe having a portion arranged on top or' both retort members and serving as a superheater for the steam in advance of its admittance to the oil-retort.

3. In a device of the class specified, water and oil retorts separated from each other by a and draft openings, a rib or projection on the tray,an absorbent or Wickingsurrounding said rib or projection, and clamping devices secured to the rib and serving to hold the absorbent or wicking in position.

4;. In a device of the class specified, water and oil retorts separated from each other by a combustion-space, a priming-tray disposed below both retorts and provided with overflow and draft openings, and a box-like supportingbase arranged below the tray and provided with a waste-pipe.

5. In a device of the class specied, water and oil retorts separated from each other by a combustion-space, a hollow base, and a priming-tray having a double flange of which one portion is supported by the base, the second portion of the frame serving as a support for the retort.

' 6. In a device of the class specified, water and oil retorts separated from eachother by a combustion space and comprising ribbed chambers forming tortuous passages for the liquids, said chambers having bolting-flanges, and removable caps or covers secured to said bolting-flanges and forming the outer walls of the chambers.

7. A retort having two side walls, one of which is slanting for exposure to the action of heat, ribs arranged between the walls and forming a tortuous chamber, saidribs extending alternately from the opposite ends of the retort and being inclined from the horizontal, -thereby to direct the fluid into contact withthe slanting Wall of the retort, the bottom wall of said retort being disposed on a correspondingly-inclined line to permit the action of the heat on the fluid in the lower portion of said retort.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE S. BENNETT. 

